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Lancia Flaminia
Rédaction : Albert Lallement
ITALIAN LUXURY
Launched in 1957, the Flaminia was the first model produced by Lancia after its purchase by Carlo Pesenti in 1955. It was then presented as the most luxurious Italian sedan of the time.
The arrival of the Flaminia corresponds to the beginning of a new period for the Lancia brand, already half a century old. One of Pesenti's first initiatives was to launch a model to succeed the second series of the Aurelia B12 sedan (1954), whose lines were already starting to age. Most of the innovative features of the Aurelia chassis, like the V6 engine and transaxle, will be carried over to the Flaminia.
The Flaminia, shown here as a coupe signed by Pininfarina, is distinguished by a body design that is as harmonious as it is elegant. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.
The year 1955 marked an important milestone in the history of the company. Gianni Lancia, the son of the founder Vincenzo, sold his shares in Lancia & Cia to Carlo Pesenti, the manager of the Italcementi group, which had just completed the building of its new headquarters in Turin. That year also saw the arrival of Antonio Fessia as Technical Director, while the racing department was dismantled after the tragic accident of its driver Alberto Ascari during tests at Monza on 26 May.
On the pre-production sedan presented in 1956, we still find the so-called “suicide” rear doors, opening in the opposite direction, these disappeared on the final version. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.
THE CHANGE MODEL
Breaking with the period during which the Lancia family had been at the helm of the company since 1905 was also reflected in the adoption of a modernised logo on the front grille of the new model, as well as a change in the model's name. For several decades, Lancia's tradition had been, with a few rare exceptions, to start its cars with an 'A': Appia, Ardea, Aurelia. From now on, while the name continued to be inspired by the Roman roads of antiquity, Lancia introduced a series of models beginning with an 'F' that would mark the 1960s. Starting with the new Flaminia, followed by the famous Flavia and then the Fulvia.
Based on the first Florida prototype studied by Pinin Farina in 1955, the Flaminia was built in just eighteen months under the leadership of the new Technical Director, Ingegnere Antonio Fessia. The pre-production model was exhibited at the 1956 Turin Motor Show, and the final version was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1957. According to some journalists the Flaminia was a rushed redesign of the Aurelia at a time of economic difficulties for the Turin-based manufacturer. Despite these criticisms, the balance and harmony of the latest Lancia model's lines are to be praised. The Flaminia established itself as the largest and most luxurious Italian sedan of its period and, according to Lancia tradition, benefited from remarkable construction quality.
The grille of the Flaminia sedan bears a certain resemblance to that of the Peugeot 404, also designed by Pinin Farina at the same time. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © © Lancia D.R.
PRESTIGIOUS COACHBUILDERS
The Flaminia went on sale in May 1957, initially only as a four-door saloon designed by Pinin Farina. From 1959 onwards, the Flaminia range was significantly diversified with the arrival of three of Italy's top designers, who worked on the model to produce top-of-the-range versions of the Coupé and Cabriolet. The idea shared by these coachbuilders was to shorten the wheelbase and increase power. Battista Pinin Farina designed a sporty coupé (Lancia code 823.00) that was to be the most popular version of all the Flaminias. Its sales exceeded those of the saloon, with 5,235 units produced up to 1967. The Milanese coachbuilder Touring presented a GT coupé (2,818 units from 1959 to 1965) and a GT cabriolet (805 units from 1960 to 1964). Carrozzeria Zagato developed more radically sporty versions with its lightweight aluminium construction: Sport (1959-1964) and Super Sport (1964-1967), with a total of 534 cars built. Production of the Flaminia between 1957 and 1970 reached 12,546 units in all versions, of which only 3,949 were saloons.
The famous transaxle, inherited from the Aurelia, has Dunlop disc brakes attached to the assembly from 1959, on the 823.00 Coupés. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.
ALWAYS A V6
The 2.5-litre V6 with a 90° opening proved its value in the latest Aurelia models, and Antonio Fessia used it as the basis for the new Flaminia. He designed a new, enlarged and modernised cylinder block with increased cooling water circulation, enabling the engine's cubic capacity to be increased at a later date. The 2,458 cm3 engine initially produced 98 bhp at 4,800 rpm on the prototype, but its power rose to 102 bhp at 5,000 rpm on the first saloon, with a maximum torque of 19.5 mkg at 3,000 rpm. The block was made entirely of light alloy, with cast-iron cylinder liners and valve seat inserts. In 1961, the 2.5 engine's power was increased to 110 bhp at 5,200 rpm by fitting a larger Solex C40 twin-barrel carburettor. The car now weighed around 1,550 kg, and at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show, a 2,775 cm3 V6 was introduced. It now produced 129 bhp at 5,000 rpm and maximum torque of 23.3 mkg at 2,500 rpm. By the end of the Flaminia's career, the Zagato Super Sport 3C version was producing 152 bhp at 5,600 rpm.
The Flaminia GT Convertibile was exclusively produced by Carrozzeria Touring from 1960 to 1964. © IXO Collections SAS - Tous droits réservés. Crédits photo © Lancia D.R.
Fiche technique
Lancia Flaminia Coupé (1960)
• Engine: Type 823.00, 6 cylinders in 60° V, front longitudinal
• Displacement: 2,458 cm3
• Bore x stroke: 80 mm x 81.5 mm
• Power: 119 hp at 5,100 rpm
• Fuel supply: Solex C40-PAAI double-body carburetor
• Ignition: battery, coil and distributor
• Timing: central camshaft, pushers and rocker arms, 2 overhead valves per cylinder
• Transmission: rear wheels, 4-speed gearbox + M.A.
• Tyres: 165 x 400 (front and rear)
• Brakes: Dunlop discs (front and rear), dual hydraulic control
• Length: 4680 mm
• Width: 1740 mm
• Height: 1420 mm
• Wheelbase: 2750 mm
• Front track: 1368 mm
• Rear track: 1370 mm
• Weight (empty): 1,490 kg
• Maximum speed: 170 km/h
THE FLORIDA PROTOTYPE
The Flaminia's original model was a study based on an Aurelia type B56 chassis. It was produced by Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, a Turin-based company that at the time was part-owned by Lancia. A first prototype called Florida I was built in a series of four cars (three saloons and a coupé) under the direction of Franco Martinengo from April 1955, and was presented at the Turin Motor Show the following autumn. The car was powered by a 2.3-litre V6 engine and featured avant-garde lines including pillar free doors and headlights housed in the radiator grille. The Florida II prototype was a coupe built in a single unit and presented at the 1957 Turin Motor Show, shortly after the launch of the series-production Flaminia saloon. The highly angular styling of this coupé, which was to be Battista Farina's favourite personal car for many years, marked a turning point in the international car design of the following decade.
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